Amazing, how so much he was influenced by his friend, J.R.R.Tolkien, who even helped convert Lewis to Catholicism over a long night.

Loved Lewis's books when I first read them, grew up when the Narnia series first appeared, still have first editions of some of them, purchased when they came out.

It was only later that I realized how much of Lewis's writing consisted of his "versions" of the work of his friends. Narnia derives from Middle-Earth. "That Hideous Strength" is a stylistic copy of the work of Charles Williams, a wonderful writer of quirky fantasy novels, centered in a very strong spirituality.

But the best book, by far, IMHO, is Lewis's "'Til We Have Faces," a re-telling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, with a sometimes startling viewpoint. Challenging, moving, memorable. I cherish my first edition.

Among other things contributing to our notions of the middle ages, it discusses Lewis and Tolkien and their creations. I haven't read it all yet, but I've checked out parts of it, and I plan to read it all soon. Thoughts?